Spurs among the front runners to sign Spence and are keen to see off other competition to bolster the wing-back position; a decision on his future could come in the next few days once Spence returns from England Under-21 duty
Friday 10 June 2022 22:16, UK
Tottenham are in advanced talks to sign Djed Spence from Middlesbrough.
Spurs are among the front runners to sign 21-year-old Spence, who helped Nottingham Forest achieve promotion to the Premier League while on loan last season.
Tottenham are keen to see off other competition to bolster the wing-back position, and a decision on his future could come in the next few days once he returns from England Under-21 duty.
The club are aware they must add to their list of homegrown players.
Spurs have already completed two of their expected six or seven signings this summer in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster.
Tottenham are already in talks with Inter Milan to sign Italy international centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, who played under Antonio Conte at the San Siro.
The left-footed centre-back has been with the Serie A side since 2017, and made 44 appearances for the club in 2021/22 as they missed out on the league title to near neighbours AC Milan.
Bastoni, 23, has earned 14 international caps for his country, including both of their Nations League games this week against Germany and Hungary.
He was included in the Serie A team of the year in 2020/21 when current Spurs boss Conte led Inter to the league championship, during which he missed only five games across the entirety of the campaign.
Conte and Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici are keen to get as much of their transfer business done ahead of pre-season.
Sky Sports News' Paul Gilmour:
Following the news that Tottenham have put in £150m of equity funds into the club, Spurs are clearly backing Antonio Conte in the transfer market this summer.
They have targeted several positions including goalkeeper, centre-back, wing-back, central midfielder and a striker. Spurs have already completed two of their expected six or seven signings this summer in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster.
Conte wants more depth in the squad, and he also wants to add experienced players, a shift from recent times when Spurs targeted younger players.
There are some at the club who feel it's inaccurate they didn't spend in the past but there is an acknowledgment they didn't always get recruitment right.
Fabio Paratici can do no wrong at the club currently. Additions of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski have given belief that they are finally getting it right in this area.
Extensive homework is being carried out on player ability and character. Spurs recently rejected the chance to sign one talented Premier League player because their research highlighted concerns he could be a disruptive influence.
